Carriage-brake mechanism for typewriting machines



Feb, 5 1924.

H. A. FOOTHORAP CARRIAGE BRAKE MECHANISM FOR TYPEWRITING MACHINES FiledDec. 51, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ||||||||||ll|||l.

@1101 in e 1 Feh. 5 1924. 1,482,512 H. A. FOOTHORAP CARRIAGE BRAKEMECHANISM FOR TYPEWRITING MACHINES Filed Dec. 51, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented Felt. 5, lid/2d.

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HARRY ARTHUR FOUEHORAP, E HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TUmirrors-Henna GOMPANY, A CORPORATION 01E DEEAWARE.

CARRIAGE-BRAKE MECHANISM FOR, TYPEWRI'EING MACHINES.

Application filed December 81, 1920. Serial No. 434,251.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known. that HARRY A. Foo'rnonar, a citizen of the United Statesresiding at Harrisbur in the county. of lllauphin and Stateofennsylvania, has invented certain newv and -useful Improvements inCarriage-Brake Mechanism for Typewriting Machines, of which the followinis a specification, reference being had t erem to the accompanyingdrawing.

This invention relates to carriage brake mechanism for typewritingmachines.

The object of the invention is to provide such a machine, and moreparticularly one of the fiat platen type with a carriage brake whichwill be efiective to retard the carriage suficiently to prevent undueshock when arrested by a tabulator stop.

To the accomplishment of the above object and others of subordinatecharacter, the referred embodiment of the invention resi es in theconstruction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter. described,illustrated in the accompanyin drawings, and defined in the appended caims.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a rear elevation, artly in section, of a machine of the welhown Elliott-Fisher type with my carriage brake ap lied thereto.

igure 2 is a sectional view of a ortion of the machine with the brakeinec anism applied thereto, and viewed in a direction at right angles tothe illustration in Figure ll.

' Figure 3 is a sectional view of the brake pro er.

igure 4 is a side elevation of the brake with the brake spring removedand a portion of the disk broken away.

Figure 5 is a detailed view showing the upper end of the brake standardand the parts associated therewith.

1' indicates the carriage of an Elliott- Fisher machine which, as iswell understood in the art, supports the printing mechanism, not shown,and is mounted to travel in the direction of letter spacing on a line sace frame 2 which in turn travels longitu inally of a fiat platen toefieet line spacing.

These machines are ordinarily equipped with tabulating mechanism, theframe 3 of which is secured to the carriage at its rear side to receiveand guide a series of tabulator blades. 4 occupying progressivedenominational positions and operated by tabulator keys 5 throughsuitable intermediate connections 6. One of the blades 4:, to wit: Thatone occupying the units position is also operated by a column tabulatorkey 7 through intermediate connections 8. It will of course beunderstood that the blades 4 are projected rearwardly to present them ina path obstructed by a fixed tabulator stop which it has not been deemednecessary to illustrate, since all of the machine structure necessary toa complete understanding of the present invention is shown in thedrawings and is illustrated and described in greater detail in my PatentNo. 1,280,679, granted October 8, 1918. Suffice it to say that upon theoperation of a tabulator key, one of the stop blades 4 is projectedrearwardly, and at the same time the carriage escapement, illustratedgenerally at 9, is released.

The carriage then, under the impulse of its propelling mechanismadvances until arrested by the contact of the projected stop blade withthe fixed tabulator" stop. Associated with the series of stop blades 4is a universal retracting bail 10 which is urged rearwardly against theresistance of retract" ing springs 11 by the movement of any blade toits active position. Upon the re lease of the key the escapement of themachine is restored to normal condition and the springs 11 retract thebail 10 and with it the stop blade which has served to arrest thecarriage in the desired position.

The only other elements of the usual machine structure requiringreference are the carriage feed rack 12 which is relatively stationary,being rigidly mounted on a frame 2, and the feed pinion 13 which isgeared to the rack 12 and is journaled on the carriage for control bythe escapement.

With this understanding of the usual machine structure, we may nowproceed to describe the brake mechanism in the construction and relationof which the present invention particularly resides.

Mounted to swing at one end from a bracket 14 fixed to the under side ofthe carriage, is a brake carrier 15 having the form of an arm, the frontend of which is offset and equipped with a journal 16 Mill on which ismounted to rotate, a brake pinion 17 disposed directly :above andtoothed to engage the rack 12. Assuming such engagement, it isevidentthat a brake applied to resist the rotation of the pinion 17 will effecta retarding or braking connection on the carriage, since advancemovement of the latter must be accompanied by movement of the pinionalong the rack. I therefore surround the hub 18 of the pinion 17 with a,brake ring 19 of fiber, rubber or other frictional material which isurged into frictional contact with the outer side face of the pinion 17by a brake spring 20. This spring is preferably in the form of a spider,mounted on the reduced end 21 of the journal which is threaded, as

interposed between the ring 19 and the spring 20, and is provided withpins 25 extended into openings in the ring. The disk 24 may benon-rotatably secured to the journal 16 in any suitable manner as forinstance, by conformin the aperture in said disk to a square or at sidedportion of the journal. The construction of the brake proper, its methodof re ulation, and its action to retard the carriage will be obviousfrom the foregoing.

Obviously, the braking or retarding of the carria e is not desirable atall times, indeed under most conditions of operation of the machine theinter osition of a brake would be most undesira le. lit is because ofthis necessity for its elimination, except under certain conditions,that the brake proper is mounted on the vertically swingingbcarrier 15which enables the pinion 17 to e moved into and out of mesh with therack 12. To accomplish this movement, the disk 14 has a projection 26 towhich is attached the lower end of a brake standard 27 extended throughan openin 28 in the bottom of the carriage and ofiset to permit itsupper end to pass through a bracket 29 'carrie by the bail 10. A nut 30is screwed u on the upper extremity of the standard a ove the bracket 29and between the bracket and a set collar 31 on the standard 27, isinterposed a spring 32.

This spring 32 constitutes a yielding or cushioning member in the lineof the connection between the retractin yoke of the tabulator and thebrake. T e jar which would otherwise be incident to the throwing in ofthe brake is eliminated, the separation of the brake from the rack whichmeaeia might otherwise result from a limited release movement of the keyis avoided and, if the teeth of the brake gear and those of the rack donot accurately align to permit smooth intermeshing, the spring 32 willnot only cushion'the stroke, but, by its compression when the resistanceis met, will store the necessary power to insure the proper meshing ofthe gear and rack and their retention in meshing relation until the keyhas been deliberately released.

The operation of the brake will now be understood. Normally, the bracket29 being in substantially horizontal position holds the brake standardin a position sufiiciently elevated to hold the brake pinion 17 out ofmesh with the rack 12. The carriage brake is thus entirely inactive. If,however, the bail 10 is swung by the projection of one of the stopblades 4 to its active position, the bracket 29 will be depressed, thuslowering the pinion 17 into mesh with the rack 12, and holding it incertain engagement by the necessary compression of the spring 32.Therefore the carriage brake will be applied simultaneously with thepositioning of a' stop blade and upon the release of the carriage willretard the latter sufficiently to prevent undue shock when the carriageis arrested, and will resist the tend,

ency of the carriage to rebound when thus arrested.

What, I claim is:

1. A machine ofthe class described, including two relatively movableparts, a rack on one part, a movable brake carrier on the other part, abrake mounted on the carrier and movable therewith to engage the rack,tabulating mechanism controlling the movement of the brake carrier, anda re silient member in the line of connection between the tabulatingmechanism and the brake carrier.

2. A machine of the class described, including a movable carriage and arelatively fixed rack, a brake mounted on the carriage and movable intoand out of engagement with the rack, and yielding means for holding thebrake in its engaging position.

3. A machine of the class described, including a. movable carriage and arelatively fixed rack, a brake mounted on the carriage and bodilymovable intei. and out of engagement with the rack, said brake includinga brake pinion and a brake meniber opposing frictional resistance to therotation thereof, and yielding means hold: ing the brake in engagementwith the radii.

4:. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a carriageand a relatively fixed part, a brake carried by one of said elements andbodily movable to engage the other, said brake including a rotary memberand means opposing frictional resistance to the rotation thereof, andyielding means retaining the brake in its efiective v sition.

5. n a machine of the class described, a carriage brake, including abrake pinion a brake member imposed against the same, a spring urgin thebrake pinion and brake member into ictional contact, means forregulating the tension of the spring, a rack, and means for moving thebrake pinion into engagement with ,the rack and for yieldingly retainingthe same.

A machine of the class described, including two relatively movableparts, a rack on one part, a movable brake carrier on the other part, arotary brake mounted on the carrier and including frictionally en gagedmembers, one of which is adapted to engage the rack and move relativeto' the other member, and means including a spring which is put undertension to move the brake carrier and to yieldingly retain the same. i

7. A machine of the class described, in-

eluding a carriage brake,'which includes frictionally' associatedmembers. 'and is bodily movable into and out of operative position, aspring, and means-for putting the spring under tension to move the braketo. its operative position and to yieldingly retain the same.

8. A machine of the class described, including a rack, a movablecarrier, and a brake movable with the carrier, and including a gear toengage the rack, a friction member opposed to the gear to retard. therotation thereof, a spring urging the friction member and gear intoengagement and means connected to the friction member to I move'thecarrier and brake toward and from the rack.

In testimony'whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

HARRY ARTHUR FOOTHORAP. Witnesses:

J. AZALEA Wrermnn,

